It’s not always about you

I’m pretty wary of people who call themselves “image consultants” because it sounds so pretentious.  What is my “image” anyway?  Is it the way I look? How I dress? The way I act? How well I photograph?

I’m also wary of someone who calls herself a “renowned image consultant.” That’s even more pretentious.

Anyway, I was about to trash a PR release about FOF Janice Hurley-Trailor, a “renowned image consultant” but one of her quotes caught my eye: “Even the best-dressed, best groomed people can compromise their image (there’s that word again!) if they don’t communicate well.”

Hmm, I thought, how true. So I read on and loved Janice’s tips on how to communicate better.  Here are two of them:

On Interrupting: Don’t stop someone in the middle of a sentence to insert your opinion.  This is a common communication flaw. Let others finish their sentences and thoughts before saying a thing.  “Insert a pregnant pause before you answer someone’s question and you’ll effectively communicate that you really listened to what was said and gave ample consideration to your response,” the release said.

Let Someone Else Have Center Stage: We all want to talk about ourselves, but give others the chance to do that, too. When you hear about someone else’s experience, hold yourself back from telling a story about yourself. Instead get interested in what they’re saying and ask questions.  People like to know you care about them.

If you’re interested in hearing more from Janice, visit her website.